The Price of Living
by Meleth
Summary: Ginny witnessed the brutal murder of her family, then dissapeared. A year later she came back and now some strange things are going on in the wizarding world.


Of course, the Traditional Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not claim to own or possess the rights to any of her fictional characters. Please don't sue me. I'm simply an adoring fan who likes to twist her characters into something completely different and perhaps unexpected. Hopefully J.K.R. will never read this, I think she'd have a cat fit or a seizure or something.  
  
This chapter is the introduction to Ginny's life some time after her official "return" to the wizarding world. As you will see something rather fishy is going on with her behaviour. Keep reading the story to find out.  
  
Double Identities  
  
"This is really good." Ginny Weasley was sitting on the counter in the kitchen of the house subjected to the most recent Death Eater raids. While they were pilfering through the house for valuables and important documents or books she was eating chocolate swirl ice cream out of the carton with a silver spoon and swinging her bare feet back and forth. Draco was standing in the corner of the room, alternately watching her and the Death Eaters' progress. Ginny's feet were covered in blood and he found it quite fascinating.  
  
Periodically one or two of the Death Eaters would pass them by, ignoring them for the most part. Ginny wasn't exactly involved except for the killing part and Draco was best to be avoided except for when he wasn't working. Occasionally one would stop for a moment to stare at the grotesque scene at the kitchen table and then look at Ginny. She giggled at each of them, amused by their reactions.   
  
"You'd never know Death Eaters would be so squeamish at the sight of blood." She tossed the comment idly to Draco as he glared at one of them who had stalled to stare a bit too long. The man blanched at Draco's look and bowed, muttering a hurried apology before he scuttled out of the room.  
  
"It's not the blood, Ginny darling, it's your particular -- style."  
  
Ginny looked over at the table. A family of five sat at it; a father, a mother, two daughters, and a baby boy. They were all dead, killed by the A&K (as Ginny liked to call it), of course, but not before Ginny had had her fun with them.  
  
The man was naked below the waist, knees spread. The younger daughter was impaled on his still erect penis. He had worked under Imperious to the moment of his death while his daughter had begged for mercy. The looks of fear and horror were frozen on their faces for all time. The woman was tied to her chair and had been raped by those who had been interested in it before she was killed; it really was surprising how many Death Eaters got off on fear and pain. The older daughter was sitting at the table, slumped over it, her hand still limply grasping the knife that she had impaled into her screaming baby brother's body. Ginny smiled slowly, still under the euphoric high that killing gave her. Five more sins had been repaid.  
  
"You know," purred a voice in her ear, "It's the sick, twisted things like this that make me love you even more." Draco's breath tickled her ear as she sat, spoon in her mouth, surveying her latest masterpiece. After a moment she turned to look at Draco. He'd moved from his corner over to her side, one arm curling possessively around her waist. He gave her a brief, cold smile and looked over at the table.  
  
"I think I'll call this one 'Death Ecstatic,'" she said thoughtfully after removing the spoon from her mouth.  
  
"Brilliant." Draco's breath was tickling her ear again, followed by a sharp nip from his teeth. She rolled her eyes and pushed him away.  
  
"We're at work, Draco, and I have to leave soon anyway. If you want to shag we can do that later this evening." She turned away and jumped down from the counter, missing the hurt expression on his face. By the time she turned back it was gone. "I still have work to do." She set the ice cream down on the counter and pulled a camera out of her robes. "Ginny Weasley, reporter extraordinaire, has done it again." She twirled around in her bare feet, her velvet robes belling out around her ankles.  
  
"You, my vicious little pet, are more than a bit insane," drawled Draco nonchalantly as he leaned back against the counter and watched her through veiled eyes. She was as heartless as the others had said; it had even got to him. No matter, he would get her later, even if it was only "shagging" to her.  
  
"The more the merrier!" She flashed him a pert smile and tossed her hair as she turned back to the table and shooed a couple extra people out of the room. Lifting her camera she approached the table from different angles, talking as she took photos.  
  
"At 5:45 this morning Ginny Weasley, rising star reporter for The Daily Prophet, received another anonymous tip about the latest attack by the notorious mystery serial killer who goes by the name of "Mortisa." She took a clear shot of the name scrawled in blood on the floor tiles. "After notifying the authorities Ms. Weasley rushed to the scene of the crime to find the entire Woodward family dead at their kitchen table. Investigations are still ongoing about Mortisa's continued killings. For a first-hand account turn to page twenty-six to read Ms. Weasley's report. The photographic content is graphic and it is advised that it be kept away from children." Ginny finished and stood up with a grin. "My editor is so predictable."   
  
Tucking the camera back into her robes she pushed up one sleeve and looked at the watch on her wrist. "Almost time for that 'anonymous tip' to arrive, from me!" Her eyes sparked wickedly. "You'd better clear your boys out, Draco. I've got to get home to call the authorities in a few minutes. I'll give you twenty-five before I ring them up." Pulling her wand out of her sleeve she Disapparated from the room. Draco sighed and went to round up his group of Death Eaters.  
  
"Tough luck, mate." Blaise appeared from around the corner and clapped Draco on the shoulder in an all-to-friendly manner. Draco frowned at him. "That one's a cold fish all around, no one's getting through her ice shell, not even you."  
  
"Excuse me, Zabini." Draco shrugged the hand off with disgust and rounded on his old school mate. "The matters of Ginny Weasley are none of your business, let alone my personal matters. It would do you well to remember what position you're in, and who looks over you." He locked eyes with the other man until Blaise looked away uncomfortably, shrugging his shoulders as if to get rid of an unpleasant draft.  
  
"Whatever you want, Malfoy." Blaise spun on his heel and walked out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "I'll round the others up."  
  
"Make sure you don't leave a mess!"  
  
"Draco." A crystal clear voice echoed through his mind, "I forgot to tell you, clean up the extra blood on the floor."  
  
"Dammit, Ginny!" He scowled at the ceiling since he didn't have an actual person to glare at, "Stop doing that to me."  
  
"Just clean up the mess, Draco." The presence was gone from his mind then and he shivered lightly. He hated it when she used that spell, although he often wondered what else Voldemort had taught her in the year's time that she'd been gone from the world.  
  
********  
  
Tap-tap-tap. Ginny was pulled out of the deep well of sleep she'd been floating in. TAP-TAP-TAP. Blinking she opened her eyes to see a blurry image of an owl tapping against her window pane, looking, for all intents and purposes, about to break through the glass.  
  
"What now." Sighing she pulled herself out of bed and put her glasses on. The digital clock on her wall read 5:45a.m. She felt like she hadn't slept a wink. Rubbing at her eyes she slowly got up and went over to the window. When she opened it the owl flew around her head twice before dropping a piece of paper on the floor and flying out again.  
  
"Bloody owls." Ginny glared after it and slammed the window shut before bending over to pick up the paper. It was a clipping of her picture torn out of an issue of The Daily Prophet from last week. Frowning she turned it over. There was something scribbled on the back in what looked like red ink.  
  
talked to the Woodwards lately?  
  
awww… too bad.   
  
too late!! :]  
  
~ M  
  
If Ginny didn't know better she would have thought her blood had frozen in her veins. That wasn't ink, it was blood; Mortisa had struck again. Her mind raced in a panic. Who were the Woodwards. Who were the Woodwards? Dropping the note onto the floor she grabbed her wand from her pillow and crossed over to her desk.  
  
"Lumos." Pulling all the drawers in her desk open she began to frantically shuffle through her notes and reference papers. An old headline from a few months ago caught her eye. "Benjamin Woodward Initiates Inter-Muggle Relations."  
  
"Oh god." She remembered now. Benjamin Woodward was, or had been, a pleasant man of thirty or so who had been worried about the growing rift between pureblood wizards and those who were Muggle-born since Voldemort's second rise to power. Through a bit of inspiration and with the help of Dumbledore and co. he had started a sort of club for wizard-born and their families. The club had held quite a few events, some of them benefits, some of them just "Get to Know You" type parties for not just those who were magical, but their Muggle families if it applied to them. Things had just been starting to loosen up between the factions. And now this.  
  
"Oh god, Ben." She looked at the clock. It was 5:57a.m. How could she have forgotten them? She was supposed to give a speech today at the headquarters of the Club for Inter-Muggle Relations. Now that obviously wasn't going to happen. She shoved the paper into her top desk drawer and shut it. Brushing her hair back nervously she looked out the window. Early morning light was starting to filter through.  
  
"Nox -- Accio telephone." The cordless by her bedside flew into her hand and she hit the speed dial for Harry Potter's home number as she went over to her wardrobe and pulled out her Daily Reporter work robes. The journalist in her wasn't going to let anyone else get the story of the Woodwards' deaths, even if she was appalled by it. What she couldn't understand was why this Mortisa character kept contacting her every time she killed someone.  
  
"Mmmphlo?" Harry answered the phone after seven rings. Ginny pulled on a clean suit while holding the phone against her shoulder.  
  
"Harry, it's Ginny. I got another note." Damned buttons.  
  
"Really? When?" He immediately sounded more awake. "What about?"  
  
"The Woodwards. I think she's killed them. I'll give you the note later, I'm dressing right now and then I'm going over the their house, I won't touch anything, you know that, and I want this story. I deserve it, at least, for all the crap this 'Mortisa' has been putting me through, it's not fair that I have to be the first one to find out about --"   
  
"Ginny!" Harry cut off her nervous babbling. "It's fine. Just don't touch anything like you said. I'll get the Order up and then we'll be over there as soon as possible. You know we're going to have to question you, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Right. See you." Ginny hit the off button on her phone and tossed it onto her bed. Pulling on her work robes she quickly laced them up and grabbed her hat. A second later she was gone.  
  
Next Chapter: Ginny gets her story, and a rather nasty surprise. Meanwhile Harry wonders about the connection between Ginny and Mortisa, and Draco stops by for a visit.  
  
A/N: The formatting really really sucks right now. Bear with me. 


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